This article will provide you with all the necessary information about the differences between Analog vs digital Synth. If you are interested in buying one of these or you just want to know more about them, you should keep on reading!
If you like this article and found the provided information useful, you might want to check out our other reviews at AalbergAudio.com
Analog Synthesizer
Analog equipment is built from electronic components (analog circuits) and tends to be expensive most of the time, and not perfect. This kind of synthesizer generates sound electronically, transforming electricity into sound. In their beginning, the sections we find in a modern synth were separated into modules such as oscillators (VCOs), filters (VCFs), and amplifiers (VCAs). Those are known as modular synthesizers and they were high priced and hard to use, so Robert Moog designed a synthesizer that included a keyboard and the modules mentioned above (accessed by switches) that become a success and is what we commonly associate with synthesizer If we check the oscillator’s soundwaves in an oscilloscope we won’t find perfect ones. For example, a sine wave, in theory, it’s just one single harmonic, but when we see what the synthesizer one looks like, we find something interesting: it has a few harmonics!
Digital Synthesizer
Digital synthesizers on the other hand are basically a computer, similar to the one inside the device you are reading this article. Specifically, digital synths use a DSP (digital signal processor) to produce sounds based in a series of 0 and 1. This technology dated from the seventies and by that time the sound that those DSPs could create was quite “cold” or “lifeless” in comparison with the analog synth’s one. It’s funny though, because this “lifeless” sound they produce is quite perfect in comparison with the analog one.
As technology became better, digital synths were capable of including high-quality samples of real instruments and then processing them with filters, modulation, etc. The electric pianos/keyboards are all digital synthesizers that have piano and other keyboards instruments samples in their memories, nowadays we can have every note of an instrument sampled at various volumes and articulation types.
Therefore, digital synthesis it’s not always a bad choice, it just depends what sound we are going for. If we want to get a piano, strings or rhodes sounds, good luck trying to get it with a Juno 60 for example.
Price of Analog vs digital Synth
Analog synths tend to be more expensive than digital synths, while digital synths typically have more features, parameters, and sonic options. Digital synths usually have more polyphony than analogs since you have to duplicate much of the audio-path circuitry for every additional note of polyphony. On digital synths, additional notes simply require that its internal processing speed is sped up. This is why a polyphonic digital synth is almost always less expensive than its equally powerful analog equivalent. Analog synths are priced around 1000 euros apiece, but you can find really good deals on also used synths. Just check the condition for any falls or damage that could impact the performance of the synth. The digital synths can be priced anywhere from 300 euros to 800 euros.
Pros and cons of Analog vs digital Synth
- There are now software versions of many vintage synths.
Only a few years ago the only way to create the sound of a vintage Roland Juno 106 synth, was to own a vintage Roland Juno 106 synth. This would (and still does) cost thousands of dollars. These days a vast number of these classic synths have been recreated as digital virtual software instruments. Some will still argue they aren’t the same, but as technology keeps improving they are getting closer and closer, to the point where telling the difference between the two sounds is becoming nearly impossible.
- These days only the very experienced ear can tell the difference in sound quality.
Yes you will read in the forums that some people can “easily hear the difference between analog hardware and digital software synths”. And maybe those people can. But the reality is that as a beginner you will really struggle to tell the difference. Is that slight difference enough to make you spend ten times the money? Probably not I imagine. People don’t like change, they don’t like the fact they spent all their money on synths. Maybe they can tell the difference, but if you can’t, then software may be a better option.
- Workflow and space
When composing music workflow is key. Being able to quickly get a sound recorded when you have a moment of inspiration is essential. It is much easier to quickly load up a digital software synth in your DAW than it is to find the correct hardware synth, turn it on and start recording. Unless you live in a mansion, a home recording studio is likely to be quite small. It might even just be a small area in the corner of a room. So you are unlikely to be able to have lots of hardware synths out and ready to play. On top of any amplifiers and other instruments such as guitars, it is just more space taken up. Particularly as most people just put them on the desk next to the computer where they will certainly get in your way. Using software synths means you can just have one MIDI keyboard which can control an infinite number of synths and taking up very little space indeed.
- Many analog hardware synths are very complicated to master for a beginner
If you are thinking of taking your first steps into the world of synthesis be careful just going out and buying an analog synth. As I mentioned above, learning on an analog synth can be an advantage. But it is only an advantage if you are prepared to dedicate a lot of time to mastering it. Be prepared for a lot of confusion and frustration. If you are not prepared then this could put you off synths forever. A software synth gives you a low-cost entry point to the synth world. You can download one for free in some cases and have a play around before deciding whether you love or hate synthesis. Then when you become more obsessed and become a bit of a ‘sound nerd’, you can think about getting an analog hardware synth.
- They don’t break as easily and you get updates
If you buy a rare vintage analog synth and it breaks. Good luck finding the correct parts or someone with the knowledge of how to repair it. Although computers and laptops which power the digital software synth can break, the actual software is unlikely to break. They also have the advantage of updates. A developer can improve them or add new features, and instead of having to buy a new one you simply download the update.
Many of the advantages of analog hardware vs digital software are in owning a physical product. So when comparing analog hardware and digital hardware those advantages are the same for both. You will have the knobs to twiddle, the unique collector’s item etc. So the battle here comes down to sound.
Older digital hardware synths struggled to replicate an analog sound. But they did have their own unique sound that made it onto many iconic records. Analog equipment has a warmer more satisfying sound to many than older digital synths but that might not be what you are after. The key is one isn’t necessarily better or worse, they are just different. Analog synths also give you a greater variety of sounds as the sound waves are created in an analog circuit. There are infinite ways all the different elements of the circuit such as the oscillaotrs and filters can interact with one another. In a digital hardware synth you are constrained to 1s and 0s and so you can’t get the same precision. In an analog synth you often end up creating weird sounds by accident. Feedback may occur in the circuitry causing some crazy sounds. The real difference and fun of analog comes when you push it to it’s limits. You are unlikely to get this in a digital synth unless it has been programmed to imitate this.
Conclusion of Analog vs digital Synth
The main difference is that a digital synthesizer uses digital processors and usually uses the direct digital synthesis architecture, while an analog synthesizer uses analog circuitry and a phase-locked loop. A digital synthesizer uses a numerically controlled oscillator while an analog synthesizer may use a voltage-controlled oscillator. A digital synthesizer is in essence a computer with (often) a piano-keyboard and an LCD as an interface. An analog synthesizer is made up of sound-generating circuitry and modulators. Because computer technology is rapidly advancing, it is often possible to offer more features in a digital synthesizer than in an analog synthesizer at a given price. However, both technologies have their own merit. Some forms of synthesis, such as, for instance, sampling and additive synthesis are not feasible in analog synthesizers, while on the other hand, many musicians prefer the character of analog synthesizers over their digital equivalent.
If you like this article and found the provided information useful, you might want to check out our other reviews at AalbergAudio.com